Wildflower hike with 'special treat'

Friday

May 17, 2013 at 10:10 AMMay 17, 2013 at 10:33 AM

Hikers can raise their heart rates as well as their spirits as they follow a new trail through Milford Experimental Forest up a hill and past sites of historic significance, scientific value and aesthetic delight, says Leila Pinchot.

JESSICA COHEN

Hikers can raise their heart rates as well as their spirits as they follow a new trail through Milford Experimental Forest up a hill and past sites of historic significance, scientific value and aesthetic delight, says Leila Pinchot.

She will lead a wildflower hike there Saturday, though the trail is not yet ready for general public access.

Pinchot grew up spending summers in the 1,500-acre forest, dining on its plants and fish when she camped there.

"I have a special treat I can't reveal yet, a fairly rare find," Pinchot said of the wildflowers that will be on the way. "For folks who want to see other flowers, we can see May apples, blood root, and other spring ephemeral flowers in another location after the hike."

The trail is the result of a collaborative effort among the Pinchot family, Pinchot Institute for Conservation, Grey Towers and the Milford Experimental Forest Trail Committee, she said.

The forest became "experimental" in 1901, when Pinchot's great-great-grandfather, James Pinchot, started the Yale School of Forestry and, for its first 25 years, students came to Milford to try out forestry techniques. Remnants of their edifices and experiments are still visible in those woods.

But Leila Pinchot, who recently received her Ph.D. in natural resource conservation from the University of Tennessee, has more recent experiments afoot that will be among the scenery, including oak regeneration and American chestnut restoration projects.

Also on the hike will be a special meadow, created long ago by beavers that have since left.

"The beaver meadow is unusual in that there is a large opening in the woods with a shrubby understory surrounding the exceptional value Dimmick Meadow Brook stream," said Pinchot, referring to water valued for its purity and the flora and fauna it supports. "On a sunny day, the contrast of golden grasses, the lush green understory and blue sky is gorgeous."

This first hike will be 1.5 miles long, Pinchot said, and at least three other hikes are being planned for the summer, though details have not yet been finalized. One outing, Aug. 4, will be in conjunction with the annual Festival of Wood at Grey Towers.

Meanwhile, the Trail Committee is looking for youth groups and other volunteers to help finish preparing trails for public use by next summer.

"We hope to offer various outdoor programs next year that utilize the trail, such as folk and classical concerts, poetry readings, as well as ecologically themed hikes," Pinchot said.

For this first hike, participants will meet at the visitor pavilion at Grey Towers at 1 p.m. and carpool to the trail, which is less than 3 miles away. Because this is tick season, Pinchot advises hikers to wear long pants, socks and boots.